


Let me take care of you

by AngyValentine



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Shir taking care of Cullen, some more fluffiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 14:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17408309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngyValentine/pseuds/AngyValentine
Summary: Cullen's a workalcoholic. And can be stubborn as a mule when he wants. Even when he gets sick. It's time for him to know what it means being taken care of by his beloved elf-y mage.





	Let me take care of you

**Author's Note:**

> Another VERY old piece I re-found scrolling my Tumblr. Not many description like the previous one, I maaaaaaaaay try to re-write it. Or look for something else to edit xD

He hated days like that one.  
Mornings when he woke up with a throbbing headache, a dull pain right in the centre of his skull – mornings when the very last thing he could ever want was the bustle of soldiers and scouts in his office, reports, training, simply interacting with others. Sometimes he wished so badly to be able to cut off his head, wait for the pain to decrease.  
But he wasn’t so lucky.  
And as Commander of the Inquisition, Cullen had tons of duties to attend.  
He groaned a simple “Enter!” when he heard the umpteenth knock on his door – not even bothered himself to rise his gaze from the report he was reading, brows furrowed and two fingers that kept slowly massaging his temple.  
“Uhm, I’d dare to say this is not a good morning.” he heard.  
That soft voice was like music for his ears. Shirael had spoken with a low tone, as soon as she had realized his conditions.  
“It’d be better.” he replied, looking up and giving her a tired smile.  
She had some papers and a box in her hands, but it didn’t look she was interested in speaking about that at the moment – at least, judging from the worried look on her face. He knew that look. And for a brief moment, he wished he could have avoided told her about his withdrawal. She never tried to insist with him, but Cullen knew she had tons of worries by her own. He didn’t want to be a burden.  
“But I can’t complain. I’ve been quite worse, you know.” he added, trying to put her at ease – failing, but at least he tried.  
“Did you try some royal elfroot?” she asked, putting the reports aside and her hands on the table.  
He nodded, sighing again.  
“Yes, I chewed some after breakfast. It got a little better, indeed.”  
“I’ll check on the garden if I can get you some more. The newer, the better. Maybe I can check if I can find something else useful.”  
“You’ve a lot on your hands, Shirael. Don’t worry about me.”  
“You’re asking something quite impossible, you know.” she whispered, getting nearer him and placing a soft kiss on his forehead. She suddenly jumped back as if she’d get burned by simply touching him “Oh Creators, but you’re burning!”  
Touché.  
Oh Maker, why didn’t he stop her from kissing him…  
“ _‘cause I’m a weak man, that’s why. Damn._ ”  
Meanwhile, she turned around and opened the door of his office, called quickly to the nearest guard on the battlements and gave him a few words, and then she went back to him.  
“Okay, time for a good break.” she said, while starting to put in order the documents on the table “Now be so kind to put down that quill and go back to your bed.”  
“Shirael, I’m not a kid, I have no need for a babysitter.” he groaned, furrowing his brows and starting again to read the document in front of him “And I’ve a lot of work to do.”  
“Work can wait. Your health is more important.” the elf tried to convince him, yet avoiding to touch him.  
“I’ve no time for that. These are important matters and I can’t let myself to waste time in bed.”  
“Cullen, please…”  
“I said not! Is it too difficult to get that I’m too busy to rest?!”  
He realized too late that he had roared to her.  
He noticed too late the hurt on her face.  
And that she had moved backwards from him.  
“I… I’m sorry. I just… wanted to help.” she said, lowering her gaze “I’m sorry. I won’t bother any further.”  
And with that, she was gone.  
   
** ** **  
   
He kept working for a couple of hours without any interruption. He felt like his head was ready to explode, and somehow he felt he deserved it. He didn’t dare to touch the cookies she had previously brought to him – and he had put the kind note she had written back in the little envelope she had attached to the box.  
A soldier entered in the office, giving him a smaller box that he placed on the desk, saying the Inquisitor asked him to bring it to his office. Cullen waited until the scout was gone to open it, finding some cut and cleaned royal elfroots. No notes at all, this time.  
He sighed again, realizing that - despite how much he could deny it - he had too many difficulties in focusing on his work: he had to re-read at least twice a single sentence more than once in every document – and some messy handwritings didn’t help at all. He really needed some rest. Rising from his desk, he opened the door to call the first available guard on the battlements, asking her to fetch the Inquisitor because he needed to talk to her.  
He hoped she’d not tell him to go fuck himself. She wasn’t really the type, but…  
After that he reached for the ladder, climbing to his loft.  
   
** ** **  
   
She was busy at her alchemical table in her quarters when the soldier called for her. She was testing some new potions for helping the mana restoration, it’d be quite useful when she, or her mage friends, needed to extend too much their magic.  
She placed everything in order after having dismissed the kind soldier, and sighed to herself. She couldn’t deny she felt quite hurt at being yelled at, but she knew how professional he was and… yeah, maybe she wasn’t really in place to tell him what to do of himself. He was a grown man, he really didn’t need for a babysitter. Yet she couldn’t avoid to worry about him.  
She crossed the rotunda and, once she arrived at his office, she knocked once.  
No replies.  
She knocked again, with the same result.  
She quite braced herself and slowly opened the door, putting the head inside the office.  
“Cullen?”  
The room was empty.  
Could it be that he was waiting for her somewhere else? She was ready to leave to get the soldier she had talked to, when she heard noises from the loft – a muffled groan and what sounded like shifting on sheets.  
“Cullen, are you up there?” she asked again, getting near the ladder.  
“I’m here.” she heard from above.  
“I’m… I’m coming up.”  
Once she got on the loft, she noticed his boots carelessly left at the foot of the bed. His armour was on its support – yet not carefully as he’d always left it, and Cullen was lying under the blankets, his forearm was covering his eyes. She didn’t dare to say anything, either once she got beside him, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
“I’ve been an idiot.” he murmured, moving away his arm but looking at the roof “You didn’t deserve the way I spoke to you. I’m really sorry.”  
Shirael slowly shacked her head, rubbing the back of her hand on his cheek.  
“Someone told me you’re stubborn as a mule, sometimes.” she joked, caressing him “But I know it’s not my place to tell you what you’ve to do.”  
“No, no. You were right.” he quickly said, reaching for her hand “You were worried for me. And I acted like an idiot because I felt like you’d think I wasn’t able to take care of myself. That it could be actually true, but… ah. Please, don’t feel sorry for what you’ve told me. You were absolutely right.”  
She slowly rubbed her thumb under his right eye, glad to see him relaxing under her touch.  
“How are you feeling?” she asked, hesitant.  
“Like my head’s ready to explode at any moment.” he quickly replied, patting on the mattress to invite her sitting by his side “If only I could be sure it’d work, I’d eat the whole box of royal elfroots. Thank you for having sent it to me, even after…”  
“My pleasure.” she stopped him, lowering herself to give him a quick kiss on the lips.  
She looked at him for a while without saying anything more, like she was trying to find the right words to speak again.  
“What’s wrong?” Cullen asked, pulling her to him.  
“Oh, I was wondering… something about your headache. But…”  
“But?”  
“Uh, you see…” she didn’t let him pull her on his chest, instead she kept staring at him “I could… use some help. If you get what I mean. Just to give you some relief.”  
“Do you mean by using magic…?”  
“On my hands only!” she quickly added, biting her lower lip for a moment “Just to… uh, to low a bit the blood heath. You know, normally it wouldn’t be wise to do it because your body is indeed using its own heath against the disease, but if the temperature is indeed too high, a little cold could help. But I don’t want to force you. I know you… well…” she stopped herself, lowering her gaze.  
“Do it.” it was Cullen’s turn to stop her, getting to snake an arm on her waist and pulling her toward him.  
“Cullen, really, you don’t have to…”  
“Please.” he turned his head, burying his face on her belly “You’re the only one I trust to do this.”  
And he wasn’t wrong.  
Her fingers weren’t freezing at all, but they were nicely cold enough to give him a great relief.  
And at least for once, he thought that being pampered like that by her wasn’t so bad, not bad at all.  
 


End file.
